In the case of the Slavic languages, the name Nada is the word for "hope" in most of South Slavic languages, Nadiya (Надія, accent on the "i") is the Ukrainian word for "hope", while Nadzeya (Надзея, accent on the "e") is the equivalent in Belarusian, or Old PolishNadzieja all of them derived from Old East Slavic. In Bulgarian and Russian, on the other hand, Nadia or Nadya (Надя, accent on first syllable) is the diminutive form of the full name Nadyezhda (Надежда), which also means "hope" and derives from Old Church Slavonic, it in turn, being a translation of the Greek word ελπίς (Elpis), with the same meaning.

The name's early roots and origins date back to Ancient Greece mythology. In most other languages it is a name in its own right. In Russian military aircraft, the warning system voice is given the name "Nadia".